Every Major Wrestling Title Ranked From Ugliest To Most Beautiful

16. IWGP United States Championship

AEW World Tag Team Championship
NJPW

Another misfire from New Japan Pro Wrestling, the company's United States Championship, in addition to being unnecessary, is also weird-looking.

The Championship belt is meant to enhance the aura of its holder. The visual should work in harmony; the belt should suit the champion, and vice versa, but the IWGP US belt always, at first glance, looks like it is upside down. The traditional crown is placed at the bottom, creating a weird dissonance, and it (unintentionally) mirrors the arc of the doomed North American expansion it was created for.

It's not ugly - the contoured plating and subtle reds, whites and blues pop - it's just...upside down.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!